Essential tools and courses for criminal justice students

A criminal justice degree can open a variety of career opportunities — in corrections, criminal courts, law enforcement and public administration. It can also foster critical-thinking skills that could improve your ability to gather evidence, decipher motives and analyze systemic problems. Ultimately, it can lead toward a more insightful and nuanced understanding of real-life criminal cases.

Working professionals or stay-at-home parents, thinking about becoming a criminal justice student, don’t have to put their job or life on hold to complete classes. Generally speaking, there are online resources, specialized tools and designed courses available. Here's what a student needs and what to expect before deciding which online courses for criminal justice are a good fit.

Students pursuing their degree online should make sure they have access to a computer with a secure, high-speed internet connection. They may need to use updated operating systems (e.g., Microsoft^® Windows 10 or higher or the latest version of MacOS^®) and updated web browsers (e.g., the latest versions of Google™ Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Edge for PC or the latest versions of Safari, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox for Apple^®).

As for online software, students will likely be logging in to a learning management system like Blackboard^®, and you may take one 5- or 6-week course at a time, which will entail such tasks as completing readings, writing discussion posts and working on specific course assignments. Some instructors may be experienced professionals who’ve worked as detectives, chiefs of police, wardens or judges, and so know from the inside out how the criminal justice system works.

An online institution should offer:

A robust university library with authoritative content and articles from reliable databases, relevant field studies and research platforms with the following:

• Detailed webpages with industry-appropriate links
• Digital textbooks on criminal justice subjects (curated by subject matter experts)
• Instructional videos

A program should be able to offer a good list of criminal justice-specific resources as well. Additionally, consult the Bureau of Justice Statistics to review the statistical coverage of crime and the U.S. justice process.

Instructors may also recommend that students check out other external criminal-justice resources, along with publications and journals that more closely align with career expectations. For example, individuals looking to bolster their law-enforcement career may benefit from following these organizations: the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Multiple apps are available to aid students as they progress in online criminal justice classes. However, they should be careful not to overwhelm themselves with too many apps. Try to use apps that are based strictly on how they may facilitate learning and productivity. For instance, an app like Evernote^® can help organize research and to-do lists for increased efficiency. Quizlet is a study aid that creates customized flash cards for memorizing legal terms and criminal justice concepts. Other apps can track and provide a report on how much time is spent on apps and websites, so students can adjust accordingly.

For some bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice, core courses will cover fundamental concepts and skills. These include:

• A survey of criminal justice to provide an overview of both historical and philosophical context.
• A course on ethics in criminal justice to explain universal standards and codes of professional responsibility.
• A course on diversity in criminal justice to provide an awareness of multiculturalism as it plays out in criminal justice.
• A theories class on criminology and victimology to examine potential causes of criminal behavior and victimization.

Specialized courses will allow students to enhance specific skills. Here are some examples:

• For a Bachelor of Science in Correctional Program Support Services, there may be a survey on the state of the corrections system in the U.S. and a course on working with the correctional population, along with a class on social psychology and criminal behavior.
• A Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administrationmay include courses in organizational behavior and management, mental health services, and crisis intervention and criminal justice problem-solving methods.
• A Bachelor of Science in Public Administration may have classes on public-sector communications, public budgeting, personnel management and the public-sector environment.